geopolitics around venezuela, NATO, greenland, etc.

https://open.substack.com/pub/rajeevsrinivasan/p/iitmaa-fireside-chat-ep-01-a-masterclass?r=66qfh&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

Quick notes: University rankings | H200 chips...

• World University Rankings 2026: China shows remarkable progress. Apart from IISc, no other Indian university managed to secure a top 100 position in any subject area.



• THE Subject Rankings 2026: While the US and UK institutions clinched the top ranks, China showed increasing strength, bagging seven top 10 positions across subjects. . . . . How India is failing its educated youth.



• 'Vishwaguru' is nowhere: From Malaysia to Germany: 10 countries where international students are heading beyond the Big Four... India continues to lag behind Asian peers such as China, Hong Kong and South Korea, Japan and Singapore in research-related performance.

Harvard is number one for Engineering in our latest subject rankings, thanks to its outstanding research environment.

Explore the full table: https://t.co/MZ9efPts8q @Harvard #THEUniRankings pic.twitter.com/4kh1gzPkro

— World University Rankings (@THEworldunirank) January 21, 2026




• “Like Selling Nuclear Weapons to North Korea”: Anthropic CEO blasts U.S. decision to approve NVIDIA’s H200 AI chip exports to China. . . Congress wants veto power over Trump administration for AI chip export



• Why the tech world thinks the American dream is dying: The argument is that tech companies (and their leaders) will become a class unto their own with infinite wealth. No one else will have the means to generate money for themselves because AI will have taken their jobs and opportunities.



• How ASML Conquered The Chip World: Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography - the insane machines that make the most advanced computer chips.




• With TACO help: Chinese EVs blow past Tesla and tariffs en route to global reign... Another record month for EV sales in China!. . . As Trump talks tariffs, his Argentine ally welcomes a first shipload of Chinese EVs



• Erdogan is no Modi: Turkey now buys more Russian oil than India. . . . . RM: "There is no morality or friendship factor, regardless of verbal praise or hugs. Only pragmatic self interest. Hello India! The battlefield is not emotional feel good victories in social media".

TRUMP’S ALGORITHM AND INDIA:
1. There is no morality or friendship factor, regardless of verbal praise or hugs. Only pragmatic self interest. Hard Realism. Soft power is irrelevant.
2. Policy driven by MAGA base & CIA.
3. Desire to “change history” using hypermasculinity.
4. USA…

— Rajiv Malhotra (@RajivMessage) January 6, 2026




• UK considering social media ban for under 16s: The world's first social media ban for young people took effect in Australia in December 2025, prompting other countries, including the UK, to consider following suit.



• Is avoiding carbs and sugar the key to a healthy old age? No, the secret to longevity is NOT skipping carbs. Let's see what the actual data says: the world's longest-living groups (Okinawa, Sardinia, Ikaria, Nicoya, Loma Linda) eat a great amount of carbs.
  
  Okinawans previously ate 85% carbs, and sweet potatoes and rice were their main source. Sardinians eat sourdough bread daily. These people are turning 100+ years old eating carbs in every single meal. The key isn't eliminating carbs - it's eliminating processed garbage. Sugar? Yes, added sugar is something to avoid.



• 5000 year-old heritage city cannot escape ugly bikAss: Manikarnika Ghat in Varanasi - the ancient & most sacred cremation ground for Hindus being bulldozed in the name of ‘redevelopment’.

the center doesn't hold. things fall apart

https://open.substack.com/pub/rajeevsrinivasan/p/ep-183-things-fall-apart-the-center?r=66qfh&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

Venezuela, Greenland, Fortress America: the end of globalism means a nasty interregnum is upon all of us. tough times especially for emerging powers like India.

The long-predicted end of the "liberal, rules-based international order" seems to be upon us, with a definite fin-de-siecle feeling. 

trump's gamble with venezuela

it looks more like american weakness rather than american strength.

https://open.substack.com/pub/rajeevsrinivasan/p/ep-182-the-trump-gamble-on-venezuela-081?r=66qfh&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

trump's gamble with venezuela

it looks more like american weakness rather than american strength.

https://open.substack.com/pub/rajeevsrinivasan/p/ep-182-the-trump-gamble-on-venezuela-081?r=66qfh&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

Quick notes: Shaksgam Valley | High protein diet...

• China Provokes India With 'Shaksgam Valley' Claim: If the Chinese and Pakistanis join hands, they have the resources to come down to Ladakh and into Leh. However, the presence of Indian troops in Siachen is a deterrent to China and Pakistan from joining hands in the Karakoram. Therefore, if that road is constructed to Aghil Pass and is connected to Khunjerab Pass, it will provide them access. China will connect as much of the Karakoram Pass as they can. They have also constructed a 170-kilometre artery from Gilgit to Siachen.
  
  Claude Arpi's insights on Shaksgam Valley.



• Artificial nation: Pakistan Should Actually Be 4 Different Countries.



• US Companies Face Anti-Indian Backlash: Indian American entrepreneurs who obtained loans from the government-backed Small Business Administration have been singled out for coordinated harassment.



• Why India-US Trade Deal Is Delayed: India has shown willingness to eliminate tariffs on nearly 95 per cent of US industrial exports and lower duties on products such as almonds, apples and avocados. Yet Washington continues to push for unrestricted access for dairy and genetically-modified crops, including corn and soybeans -- an issue deeply sensitive in India due to environmental, political and social concerns.



• On trade, DJT is CCP's biggest asset: Trump's protectionist trade policies allow China to swoop in. Canada allowing Chinese EVs is the latest.



• Transforming India Post into a Rural E-Commerce Powerhouse: Can India Post, a state-run entity with a massive presence and logistical network across India, reposition itself as a leading e-commerce player, not just a logistical support provider?
  
  The answer could lie in harnessing the power of its well-established network, employees, and extensive rural reach to create a transformative e-commerce platform catering specifically to rural markets. It will also enable India Post to have a good share of the emerging e-commerce era pie, in terms of volume of sales, turnover, and profitability, making it a brand like Amul.



• The Effects of High-Protein Diets on Kidney Health and Longevity: High-protein diets may be associated with a number of metabolic complications that may be detrimental to kidney health. . . Kidney disease death rate by country.




• India's State-Sponsored Sugar Addiction : Thanks to our policies, India produces way more sugar than it needs, using up precious water and financial resources; and as a result, Indians end up eating more sugar than is healthy.



• Madhav Gadgil, Kerala’s reluctant prophet: Gadgil was part of the scientific scrutiny that questioned the ecological wisdom of damming Silent Valley. That intervention helped reinforce an idea Kerala would never quite abandon, that development was not automatically virtuous and that expert knowledge could legitimately challenge state power.

Quick notes: Bhajan clubbing | Walkaluru...

• The Pied Piper of the digital age: Why India must shield young minds from algorithmic enchantment. Drawing lessons from Australia’s recent legislation, India must urgently regulate children’s access to social media and artificial intelligence.



• An aversion to alcohol is moving the global party scene in an unexpected direction: From Brisbane to Mumbai, and Paris to Toronto, the movement has quickly gained traction among a segment of Gen Z-ers and younger Millennials who are drinking less and prioritizing sleep, health and wellness in their lives.
  
  
• Bhajan clubbing: Today's Gen-Z have found a new way of partying that involves devotion as well.
  
  
• The Sober Party Girl Revolution: A new generation rejects alcohol but isn’t quite ready to give up the party.
  
  
• When Dry January becomes permanent: ‘Even though I was fit and energetic the weekends were gone’. “You’d have few drinks on Friday night because you’ve worked hard all week long, and then Saturday was sluggish. You might have a few drinks on Saturday night, and Sunday was sluggish. All of a sudden it’s Monday.”
  


• Ugly, smog filled 'bikAss' comes with a price: India is seeing dip in foreign tourists. In contrast, Vietnam became the fastest growing market for foreign tourist arrivals in south east Asia
  


• What urban India needs: Walkaluru walkathon highlights Bengaluru’s pedestrian infrastructure, encourages walking culture




• Indore tragedy: Indore, in spotlight over 20 deaths, allocated Rs 2,450 Crore for 'Clean' Water. What makes the tragedy even more disturbing is the scale of public money that has been spent on Indore's water and sanitation infrastructure over the past five years.



• 60% of top 1,000 stocks delivered negative returns in 2025: Even after the recent correction, the Nifty Smallcap 100 trades at a price-to-earnings multiple of 24.6 based on one-year forward earnings, well above its 10-year average of 18.3.



• Why The Americans Were Opposed To Agni: 'The heat shield technology for re-entry vehicles was first mastered in DRDO for the Agni missile.' 'This is why the Americans were so opposed to Agni in the 1980s, unlike other missiles -- it was a re-entry vehicle.'



• Christian nationalist sarkar: Tulsi Gabbard sidelined from Venezuela planning



• MAGA doesn't like your skin color: Sikh truckers found refuge in trucking until the Trump administration’s crackdown



• DJT, the progressive socialist: Trump suddenly sounds a lot like a progressive Democrat when it comes to business. CEOs on guard.



• The Chinese way: Videos and photographs show how the Chinese authorities have tried to dismantle Zion Church, a Christian network with branches across the country.



• The year of Chinese robotics domination: The real AI story of 2026 will be found in the boring, the mundane—and in China. Washington's fatal miscalculation was assuming its sanctions would hammer Chinese innovation. Instead, it only hampered the viability of the West's own tech.



• Ustad Shujaat Khan: छाप तिलक सब छीनी रे मोसे नैना मिलाइके